


If I Gave My Heart to You

by SuperTempsRUs (JaskiersWolf)



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alien Cultural Differences, Alien Culture, Cultural Differences, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gift Giving, Happy Ending, Pining, Presents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:28:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22835551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JaskiersWolf/pseuds/SuperTempsRUs
Summary: The Doctor was a genius in many ways. He could take down armies of Daleks and Cybermen, almost singlehanded. He could face down the Sontarans and the Judoon, hell he'd even faced down Satan, but he could not for the life of him understand why Donna Noble just didn't get all the signals he'd been sending her? How many gifts did a Time Lord have to give a human before she realised he was completely in love with her?
Relationships: Tenth Doctor/Donna Noble
Comments: 40
Kudos: 159





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into 中文-普通话 國語 available: [If I Gave My Heart to You](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24978697) by [ChrisArieh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChrisArieh/pseuds/ChrisArieh)



The Doctor could pinpoint the exact moment he fell in love with Donna Noble. This tiny seemingly insignificant human being had thrown herself in front of him using her own very fragile body as a shield against a terrible bloodthirsty alien that had used her and wanted to murder her. The same human that had fought with him all day because she just wanted to get married in an ordinary human way. The same human that had just had her heart shattered into pieces, and she chose to use those remaining pieces to defend him, the man she barely knew or trusted against the fearsome Empress of the Racnoss. 

Of course then she hadn’t wanted to travel with him and he’d accepted it as a Christmas affair. If you could even call it that. It had been a pretty one-sided affair after all.

And then Martha and the year that never was. He’d not been kind to Martha Jones. The months he’d spent by himself after she left the Tardis were hard. This self had never been by itself for long. It had only been a couple of weeks between his Christmas day with Donna Noble and getting stuck on the moon with Martha Jones but between after Martha left and finding Donna again had been months, months that had felt like forever. Those months on his own had given him a fresh perspective on Doctor Martha Jones. She was fun to be with, yes it helped that it was a huge boost to his ego, but she was also bright as a button which was honestly quite refreshing. Someone that already had a vague understanding of the scientific nonsense he liked to talk about and even if she hadn’t understood it fully, her basic understanding and curiosity and thirst for knowledge were so much like his own. The Tardis had seemed very quiet without her.

He’d almost forgotten that brilliant fierce ginger by the end of his time with Martha. 

Another star that had burned brightly across his sky to be gone the next moment. 

He was good at moving on after all… well… mostly. This body still pined for the first face he saw even though she was gone forever, trapped across the void, the friend that had pulled him from his post-Time War depression. The friend that reminded him how to love again. He consoled himself with the fact that at least she was with family. That was a luxury he would never have again. 

And then Donna had burst back into his life once more. His initial love for her had settled back into an easy fondness and friendship.

But his hearts betrayed his words.

He could pinpoint the exact moment he fell in love with Donna Noble for the second time. Pompeii, Volcano Day. Her hands on his, as together they condemned thousands of people to their deaths to save the world and keep the space time continuum intact. 

And he fell hard. 

That second time felt like all the air had been knocked out of his lungs which was an impressive feat for a Time Lord. From that moment on Donna Noble became absolutely essential to his existence. He’d been happy to see her again at Adipose industries, of course he had, but he could have just as easily gone on the rest of his life without her if he’d had to. Human lifespans being what they were, it was something of a necessity for him. 

Now he struggled to see his life beyond Donna Noble. 

Probably regeneration. New body, new hearts, new loves. 

The only problem was that Donna Noble seemed completely oblivious to his torment. 

He sighed as she grabbed his hand a pulled him along the beach with an excited laugh. 

“Come on, Time Boy! You have got to see this.” She said giddily.

The sand on this beach was, on a molecular level, essentially diamonds. The planet had only recently evolved an atmosphere that humans, and Time Lords for that matter, could survive. In the planet’s younger days the gravity had been too intense and the surface had almost burned under the heat of the nearby sun. However, millions of years into the future, following an unfortunate collision that had knocked the planet out of its usual orbit path and broken the planet right in half, it had become habitable. 

He’d thought the diamond beaches would have been right up Donna’s street but she barely seemed interested. She’d ran straight to the diamond rock pools, rolled her jeans up to her knees, and leapt amongst the pools searching for life. He smiled dopily as he was pulled along to one of the larger pools, relishing of the feel of her hand in his and delighting in the way the sunlight bounced off the copper strands of her hair. 

“What have you found now?” He asked her, letting a slightly exasperated note into his voice as he teased his friend. 

“Just trust me, Spaceman.” Donna squeezed his hand and then pointed to one of the corners of the shimmering rock pool. 

He pulled out his glasses and pushed them up onto his nose as he peered into the water. Clinging to the side of the pool just below the surface was a starfish. He grinned and looked back down at Donna who was beaming up at up from under a pair of large sunglasses. 

“A starfish!” He said with a laugh. 

“Yup.” Donna grinned. “An alien starfish for an alien Spaceman.” 

“Well… Technically we’re both aliens here. This starfish is just a starfish. Well… that’s not what it would call itself but it’s the best translation to your language and understanding.” He pondered aloud. 

“Oh go on then. What would it call itself?” Donna asked with a smirk.

The Doctor frowned as he sifted through the languages in his head until he reached the right one. He sniffed loudly and tried to find the right positioning of his tongue in his mouth and spat out the name. It sounded rough in his voice, the starfish would have probably laughed at his pronunciation. Donna stared at him for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. 

“You’re kidding!” She said between giggles.

He sniffed indignantly and scratched the back of his neck. “Well, it sounds better underwater.”

She patted his shoulder. “You keep telling yourself that, Alien Boy.”

They watched the starfish for a few minutes. It moved ever so slightly across the rock pool but barely enough for Donna’s human eyes to notice. The Doctor found his gaze drifting back to his best friend. She was absolutely captivated by the creatures in the rock pool. Her cheeks were a flushed pink, starting to burn and he dug through his pockets to find his suncream. Donna burnt easily and he quickly learned to not leave the Tardis without suncream, just in case. She smiled sheepishly at his as he pressed the small bottle into her hands. 

“Thanks.” 

“Well, I couldn’t let my best friend get burnt now could I?” He grinned.

“Oh come off it, Spaceman. You’re just scared of my mum.”

“Terrified.” He agreed. 

He moved away from the pool and back towards the ocean, scanning the beach for a larger chunk of diamond then he could skim across the glittering water but the diamond fragments didn’t flatten off the same way the rocks on Earth did and he was left disappointed. Something did catch his eye amongst the sparkling sand though. On Earth it would have been boring and dull but on this planet it stuck out like a sore thumb. 

It was what looked like an ordinary rock but if he was right, and he usually was, then it would contain something brilliant on this inside. He squatted down and scooped up the rock in his hands. He tossed it between his hands as he burnt his skin, and he hissed in pain. Once it had cooled down enough to touch he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and scanned the seemingly ordinary rock. 

He peered at the readings on the screwdriver and grinned. “Oh you are beautiful!” He cried happily and then ran over to find Donna by the rock pools. 

He paused. 

Was he going to give the hidden gemstone to his best friend? That’s what he had been thinking when he started to find her. He wanted to show it to her, he wanted to give it to her. 

In general Time Lords didn’t really do gifts.

He made an effort for his human companions if they were with him on their birthdays, if they remembered to keep track of the time relatively that was, but gift giving presented something very different on Gallifrey. After all when your lives were so long birthdays and celebrations sort of became just another day, a fleeting moment in time. He’d long forgotten his birthday and his age. He liked to say he was nine hundred and three but that was really to make his companions happy. It was probably a lot longer than that. He was sure at some point he’d said he was over a thousand. He’d been pretty good over the last few years at remembering to add a year. He wondered how long it would be until he lost count again. 

But the point was the gifts to Time Lords represented the desire to court and to bond. 

He normally didn’t get the instinct to give gifts to his companions. Occasionally someone would obviously like something he owned and he let them have it but that was different to choosing a present with a person in mind, and he really really wanted to give this rock to Donna. He knew she saw herself as ordinary, a bit like the outside of the rock, but brilliant and sparkling to those who knew what was inside. 

Of course, Donna was anything but ordinary on the outside. Her hair was striking and reminded him of the burnt orange sky above Gallifrey, her skin was speckled with freckles that were like the constellations in the sky and her eyes sparkled like shining sapphires with glittering golden rings around the pupils. Her smile and laughter were both infectious and he found that there was never a dull moment with her around. 

He took a deep breath and then crossed the last few feet of sparkling sand to stand by her side. 

“Donna?” He tried to mask his nerves but Donna was always able to see straight through him. 

“What’s up, Spaceman? You haven’t found some weird alien or disease that’s going to kill us have you?” She groaned as she pushed her fringe back.

“No!” He shook his head violently. “No no no. That’s not. That’s… no. I just wanted to give you this.” He thrust the rock out, hoping that she would take it. 

Her brow furrowed and she plucked the rock from his fingers and she inspected it in the sunlight. “A rock?” She asked. 

He scratched the back of his neck. “Well… yeah.” He replied with a shrug. 

She nodded and put the rock into her jacket pocket. He barely managed to suppress his grin. “Thanks, Spaceman. Come on! Let’s go have a look around. There’s bound to be someone that needs our help.”

“What makes you think that?” He asked with a frown. 

“The Tardis wouldn’t land somewhere we’re not needed. Tell me you’ve noticed that we never get a break?” Donna quirked an eyebrow at him. 

He rubbed his cheek as he considered the question. “I just thought it was bad luck?”

“Oh come off it, you don’t believe in luck!” Donna laughed as she took he hand and they began to wander along the beach towards the cliffs in the distance. “You don’t even believe the horoscopes in my magazines.”

He rolled his eyes. “That’s because horoscopes are just a load of superstitious bollocks with no basis in scientific fact.”

“And luck is?” 

“It’s just a phrase. Oh shut up.” He nudged her arm as they walked. 

As if on cue a brilliant purple streak of light flared across the sky and seemed to crash down just past the horizon. They shared an excited look and ran off to help. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise I don't spend all my free time writing... I have been working on this one for a couple of weeks now between writing other bits. This idea came from a conversation with ALittleWrath on tumblr. It's a bit silly but I've enjoyed writing it. 
> 
> This is probably the longest chapter... Like with Iridescent I wrote it as a one shot but I kind of thought it made sense with chapter breaks. 
> 
> Hope you like it!
> 
> \- Yaz (AvengersBarnes)


	2. Chapter 2

The Doctor grimaced as he shrugged off his slime covered suit jacket. Even the Tardis would have a hard time cleaning that one out, but hopefully she would be able to replicate his suit perfectly. It had been a strange adventure. From the moment they’d landed in the mossy green forests he’d known something was up. The air had tasted bitter on his tongue and the timelines had swirled in his vision making it hard to concentrate. He should have realised much sooner that someone was messing with stolen Time Lord technology but he’d been so wrapped in his own grief and insistence that the Time Lords were gone that he’d been blinded to the truth. 

He hadn’t listened to Donna’s reason. 

And it had almost cost them both dearly. The Simigoon had caught Donna with one of its claws injecting her bloodstream with a lethal toxin. He’d almost run out of time whilst trying to find a cure whilst juggling the task of keeping the fixed points in time secure. In the end he’d found a cure but it had backfired on the Simigoon, and the creature had exploded over both of them. 

He wrinkled his nose in disgust as the stench of the slime hit him. 

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” He said to the vibrant green remains that covered his suit. “I just wanted to save my friend.”

He emptied his pockets on his bed and then threw the suit jacket into the laundry chute. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at the collection of the knickknacks on the bed. He knew his pockets were bigger on the inside but did he really have that much in them?

He’d forgotten about most of it and he could have sworn he’d washed that jacket recently. Had he just forgotten to empty the pockets? 

The Tardis grumbled back at him and he realised that was exactly what had happens.

“Oops.” He muttered sheepishly. “Sorry Old Girl.”

He loosened his tie and then picked up a few of the old gold medallions from off the bed. He couldn’t even remember when he’d put those in his pocket. Had he ever emptied his pockets before?

A spark shot out of the walls and he jumped back with a hiss and glared up at the ceiling. “Right. Yes. Alright. I get the picture.”

Did that mean he had these in his pockets when he met Donna?

When she’d needed a taxi to get to her wedding on time?

“Haha!” He laughed and spun round to race out his room. “Donna!!” He called as he ran through the corridor towards her room. 

Her door was closer than he remembered. Usually his room was tucked safely far away from his companions. When he did eventually fall asleep he often had terrible nightmares, the kind that you wake up screaming from and he didn’t want to break the illusion of dashing hero. 

“Huh.” He mused when he looked around and realised that he could just about still see his own room at the end of the corridor. 

“In here, Alien Boy!” Donna called.

He turned back to Donna’s door and poked his head around the door frame with a grin. 

“You’ll never guess what!” He beamed. 

She was sitting cross-legged on her bed running a towel through her hair whilst she flicked through the pages of a magazine. She must have already managed to have a shower. Her skin was still flushed from the hot water and he could smell her floral shampoo thick in the air. 

“I despise guessing games.” Donna drawled with a smirk.

He blinked a couple of times as he tried to remember what he had come into her room for. 

“That’s the Lion King!” He pointed out with a laugh. 

“Got it in one, Spaceman.” Donna shifted to make room for him on her bed before noticing he was still wearing his suit trousers. “Get them in the wash before you get any further. I only just got the stink of Simi-wotsit out of here.” 

He rolled his eyes and started to pull his trousers off awkwardly. “Simigoon, Donna.” He corrected her. He looked down at his trainers and decided he looked stupid standing there in just a shirt, boxers and trainers, so he hopped about as he tried to get his shoes off too. He dumped the dirty clothes in Donna’s laundry chute and sat next to her on the bed. “Better?” He asked.

“I meant go and get changed you prawn.” Donna stuttered, seemingly even redder than before. 

“Right. Yes.” He looked down at his bare legs. “Sorry. I didn’t think.”

“Newsflash.” Donna mumbled and then threw a blanket at him. “Here.”

“Thanks.” He smiled sheepishly as he pulled the blanket over his legs. 

Donna passed him an older copy of her heat magazine, one he hadn’t read yet and they sat together in a comfortable silence. He sneered at the horoscopes whilst she teased him about being a typical Capricorn which didn’t even make sense because from what he could tell he didn’t have many ‘typical Capricorn’ characteristics. He was pretty sure she just said that because he’d told her that he’d sort of been born on Christmas Day. 

“Bloody Taurus.” He muttered as he tossed the magazine off the bed. 

“Oi!” She swatted him on the arm. 

“Ooh!” He turned to face her excitably, as he remembered why he’d come to see her in the first place, and pulled the old medallions from his shirt pocket. “Look what I found!”

Donna held her hand out for the coins and he emptied them into her palm. He peered closely at them. “What’s this? Pirate gold?”

“Yup!” He grinned. “Although most currency based societies will accept it, even yours.”

“Let me guess, Long John Silver?” Donna asked as she flipped a medallion in her hand. 

“Captain Jack.” He replied.

“Sparrow!?” She gasped. 

“Harkness. Not a pirate. I won it off him in a bet.” He shrugged. “I thought they were still in my old jacket, one I don’t wear anymore. Tardis must have moved them across to my suit when I… well when I decided I wanted a change. I think they’ve been there since I first chose my suit, which means…”

“You had them on my wedding day!!” Donna gasped.

“I had them on your wedding day.” He admitted. “Sorry.”

“Oh, well, it turned out for the best. Can you imagine if I’d actually married him?” Donna giggled. 

“He was an idiot for not seeing how brilliant you are.” He smiled fondly at his best friend.

And then that feeling was back. He needed Donna to have the coins. He needed to give them to her, as a reminder of that first meeting. The day she flew into his life like a bride shaped hurricane. 

“Oh stop it.” Donna brushed off the compliment. 

“You are. You are brilliant.” He insisted. “My brilliant Donna Noble. Keep the coins.”

“Why?” She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow at him. 

He shrugged. “I’d like you to have them.” 

“Alright then.” She nodded and patted his cheek before putting the coins in her pocket. 

“Right then!” He said as he leapt off the bed with a sudden burst of energy. “I should go and shower. I’ll see you in about an hour for dinner?” 

“Your turn to cook, Time Boy.” Donna laughed as she threw the blanket after him. 

“No. No. I cooked yesterday.” He insisted.

“And I got poisoned by an alien today.” She reminded him.

He felt a cold chill wash over him at the memory. 

“It’s my turn to cook.” He agreed and then raced from the room, trying to stop his hearts from pounding in his chest. 

This gift giving had to stop. 

But she kept accepting them. Surely that had to mean something?

He sighed and tugged at his hair anxiously before hiding back in his room. 

“Stupid Doctor.” He whispered as he leant against his door. 

* * *

The Doctor was in a mood. 

It was understandable really. The last adventure had been hard and almost everyone that they’d tried to save had died. It had been a train wreck from start to finish really but at least the surviving members of the tribe of winged aliens would be safe from future epidemics from the plague that had almost destroyed them. They’d ensured the species would still have a future. It wouldn’t be easy but they had a fresh start. 

That had been a win in Donna’s eyes but the price had been heavy and the Doctor was blaming himself for not finding a solution sooner. She could see the guilt weighed heavy in his heart and he’d isolated himself in some far away room in the Tardis. 

Probably the workshop, or doing maintenance in some engine room somewhere. 

Donna sighed and pulled open her bedside table drawer. Inside was an old hatbox. She’d deposited the hat into the Tardis wardrobe when she’d first arrived but she’d kept the box, a habit she’d picked up from her mother. 

Over the last few weeks the box had become home to the various bits and bobs that the Doctor had given her. She opened the lid and picked up the old large pebble from the beach. It had been the first random present from her alien friend. She didn’t really know why she’d kept it. It was just a boring old rock but the look in his eyes when he’d given it to her. She’d sensed it was important to him. 

Next had been the golden coins that he’d won off that friend of his. 

And then a weird snake broach that they’d picked up at an old Roman market. 

A tiny pencil drawing of her on the back of an old cigarette card that he’d found in an old junk yard in the 1960s. 

A weird shimmering silver leaf from the garden in the Tardis. 

She pulled a midnight black feather from her pocket and added it from the box. He’d found it on the floor of the hospital where they’d been treating the patients, and it had been a key to triggering the solution to the cure. 

“Is it a Time Lord thing?” She asked the Tardis. 

The Tardis giggled in the back of her mind which Donna took to mean yes. 

“But what does it mean?” She asked as she stared at the sketched he’d done of her. 

He made her look beautiful. 

“Daft Martian.” She groaned and flopped back onto her bed. 

She wished she had another friend on the Tardis. Not because the Doctor wasn’t amazing. He was great. He was her best friend in the entire universe but he was still a bloke and an alien one at that, and sometimes it just got hard being the two of them all the time. She wasn’t entirely sure about Time Lords but humans needed more than one friend, otherwise they drove you potty, and who was she supposed to talk about when he did weird alien things that just didn’t make sense to her? or weird bloke things?

She sighed and dropped the picture back into the box before putting the lid back on and stashing it away in the drawer. She was too tired to think about that now. Her eyes were sore with the effort to stay awake and she had no doubt the Doctor would be waking her up extra early tomorrow. He always did when they’d had a particularly hard adventure, he couldn’t stop too long otherwise he’d overthink it all and drive himself into a downward spiral so it would be straight back out to save civilisations. 

She pulled the duvet up to a chin and let her eyes flutter shut as her dreams began to pull her into a restless sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Told you this is a silly one! But I hope you like it. Comments are wonderful. Kudos are great but mostly I just hope you liked my daft old story :D
> 
> \- Yaz


	3. Chapter 3

The Doctor stared anxiously at the small mobile phone that Martha had provided him with. He’d been hovering over the call button for two hours, thirty eight minutes and… 10 seconds. 

He shouldn’t need to call his friend and former companion over this, and it really wouldn’t be fair on her. He knew Martha Jones had fancied him more than a little, she’d told his human counterpart that she loved him. 

But he really didn’t have any friends left. They’d all moved on, died or forgotten him. Maybe Ian and Barbara would still be alive. They really should still be alive unless something terrible had happened. Would they even recognise him after all this time? He’d changed so much over the years, still the old couple had taught him the value of human friendship after he accidentally kidnapped them. 

Accidentally on purpose. 

No. He couldn’t call them. 

Sarah-Jane? She was fully aware of regeneration and had even met his latest self. Surely she would be able to offer some kind and wise advice. His Sarah-Jane Smith. 

Even K-9 would probably know what to do and he was a drone. 

He pulled at his hair and slammed the phone down on the console. Why was this human courting business so hard? The humans made it look so easy. They fell in and out of love at the drop of a hat. Even Susan had fallen quickly for that human of hers… what was his name? Daniel? Darren? No. David. He was pretty sure it was David. 

Jack! 

Jack would help him! 

If anyone knew about love it would be Jack! He inserted the coordinates for Cardiff into the Tardis console and ignored her laughter as she teased him about his ‘human crush’. He paused before slamming the lever down to lock in the coordinates. If even the Tardis was mocking him, Jack would be unbearable. 

“We going or not?” Donna’s voice came from the doorway to the console room. 

She was wearing a lovely midnight blue dress that was pulled in at the waist by a thin belt and her long leather brown coat. He was delighted to see her hair was down and falling in gentle curls around her face. She looked like an angel. 

“Donna!” He plastered a fake grin on his face. He was happy to see her really but, he had really hoped he could get to talk to Jack or Martha or somebody without her poking her nose in. She was too good at reading him, she’d know he was hiding something.

She peered at him suspiciously and then strolled over to the console putting her hands over his on the lever. He gulped as he was pulled back to the escape pod in Pompeii. He wondered if she had noticed the similarity in their situation now. A chuckle escaped his lips, even without knowing why she was saving him, helping him get to where he needed to be. 

“On three?” She asked with a smirk. 

He nodded. “One.” He winked.

“Two.” She continued with an infectious laugh. 

“Three!” They cheered together and sent the Tardis spiralling through the vortex back to 21st Century Earth. 

She gripped onto his arm as they both struggled to stay standing as the Tardis jerked and threw them about. He laughed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, gripping tightly onto the console with his free hand. “Donna! Can you?” He pointed to a lever by her left hand. 

“This one?” She shouted back with a laugh as she almost lost her footing. 

“Oh yes!” He laughed with a grin.

Donna pulled the lever slowly towards her, just like she’d seen him do many times. He hadn’t realised how much she’d picked up about driving the Tardis over their travels. Maybe he should teach her properly one day? She’d like that. 

The Tardis bubbled happily and the lights brightened in the console room. 

So the Tardis wanted Donna to learn too? Interesting. That was interesting. 

After a few more minutes they fell to the floor laughing as they landed back on Earth. He scrambled to his feet, using the edge of the console to pull himself up and peered at the monitor. He grinned as he saw the familiar cityscape of Cardiff on the screen. The Tardis had landed right on the rift and she always did when they visited the Welsh city. It was like she was drawn to the energy like iron filings to a magnet. 

“Cardiff?” Donna asked skeptically as she looked at the screen over his shoulder. 

“Oh yes!” He pulled on his long coat and then skipped over to the doors to pull them open. “After you.” He gestured with a wave of his hand. 

Donna squeezed his arm with a soft smile that made his hearts flutter in his chest and then strolled out to face the world.

* * *

The Doctor was regretting his choice in friends. He’d sent Donna off shopping with an old credit card that was filled with credits from a space colony that he’d helped save once upon a time. A quick zap with the sonic had converted the credits into English pounds… several million of them. He tried not to think about that. At least they were in Wales and not London, that would hopefully limit Donna’s spending at least a little. He’d already had to expand his wardrobe to accommodate all the luggage she’d brought aboard with her. The Doctor, instead of shopping, was staring at a large flat screen in Jack’s Torchwood base, surrounded by the entire Torchwood team and Skyping both Martha Jones and Sarah-Jane Smith. Jack had tried to rope in the Brigadier as well but he’d put his foot down on that. He didn’t need the whole of UNIT knowing of his… problem.

“So you really like this Donna then?” Martha asked, seemingly not bothered by the whole thing which was a relief. He didn’t want to hurt his friend’s feelings anymore than he already had. 

He buried his face in his hands with a sigh before looking back up at the screen. “Yeah. I really do.”

“A Time Lord in love. What a novelty.” Jack laughed and ruffled his hair.

“Oi! Get off the hair!” The Doctor glared up at him. 

“I never thought I’d see the day.” Sarah-Jane commented quietly but she was smiling and he could tell she approved. “I always thought Time Lords were above such trivial things.”

“We are.” He cried indignantly. 

“You see. You say that but…” Gwen Cooper, one of Jack’s team shrugged and the Doctor cut her off with a sharp look. 

“No no. She’s got a point!” Martha pointed out. “Look, Doctor. You know I love you to bits but isn’t it time to stop running away?”

“I’m not running.” The Doctor said with a sniff. 

Jack laughed and tapped some buttons on the screen. The Doctor’s own voice blared out of the screen. “Oh, the ones that ran away, I never stopped.” 

“OI!” The Doctor snapped. “I was trying to save the world and the whole future of the human race.”

“Your own words Doctor.” Jack patted him on the shoulder. 

He sighed and let his head drop onto the table with a thud. He was too old for this. He just wanted Donna. He wanted her to understand but she couldn’t. She was only human, but she was also the one person who really seemed to understand him more than any other human he’d met. Perhaps more than any other Time Lord too. He’d never really fit in on Gallifrey. He felt too much for the Time Lords, too much love, too much joy, too much anger… too much fear. He’d never felt quite at home on Earth either. It was his surrogate home and he loved the humans but they were so small, so tiny, like specks on dust on his timeline. 

And every friend he lost burnt through him like a raging inferno. 

He kept running, losing friends and meeting new ones, pretending like he wasn’t desperately lonely. Pretending he didn’t crave a partner that wouldn’t be gone in two beats of his hearts. 

“I’ve tried everything.” He moaned into the table. His words came out muffled but, judging by the laughs that went around the room, his friends still heard him clear enough. 

“Such as?” Sarah-Jane asked kindly, making an effort to hide her amusement. 

He raised his head wearily and squinted up at the screen. “I tell her she’s brilliant, that I couldn’t do all of this without her and…” He paused as his hearts clenched in his chest. “I give her gifts”

“You give her gifts?” Martha tilted her head. “That’s important yeah?” 

“Of course it is.” He snapped and then sighed. “Sorry.”

“Sorry. I don’t think I understand.” Gwen interrupted. “What’s so important about presents? Friends do that all the time.”

“No wonder you lot fall in love so quickly.” The Doctor muttered sarcastically. 

“Explain, Doctor.” Martha insisted. 

“Ooh this is gonna be good!” Jack clapped gleefully next to him and the Doctor shot him a glare, one that Donna would be proud of. 

“Stop it.” A rumble went around the room and Jack rolled his eyes. 

“Can’t even have fun anymore.” He muttered. 

“Gift giving is different on Gallifrey. We don’t celebrate birthdays like you lot do, we don’t mark out time with holidays. It would be laughable. We can be scattered throughout the Time Vortex. Time doesn’t pass in the same way for us.” He sighed as he looked at the blank expressions around the humans. Every culture in human history had some form of calendar and marking out important events, which would be celebrate through gifts. “Giving someone on a gift… it’s like an engagement ring.” 

He watched as the penny dropped for his human friends. He’d finally translated it into the right words. 

“and accepting the gifts?” Sarah-Jane asked.

“is saying yes.” The Doctor nodded. 

Jack grinned brightly and slapped the him on the back. “Oh sh…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry there was a bit of a delay on this! I have no excuse. It was written and ready to go... I just forgot :P I got distracted by a new hyper fixation... but if anyone has listen to any of The Amazing Devil's music. Dear lord I'm having feelings. 
> 
> Also new Donna Noble content today!! Wooo!!! Love my girl. I've only listened to the first one atm but already loving it! :D 
> 
> Hope you liked this! Let me know! 
> 
> \- Yaz


	4. Chapter 4

Donna had been sat inside the console room of the Tardis for what seemed like forever. She’d enjoyed her little shopping trip but it had lost its usual thrill. It all seemed rather mundane these days, and Cardiff was hardly The Mall. She could have spent years shopping on that planet. If only they hadn’t landed in Cardiff. She sighed. It could have at least been London but the Doctor had been very insistent that it was Cardiff, speaking of which, where was the Doctor? Surely he should be here. There wasn’t much for him to be doing in the Welsh capital. Unless he had friends here?

“Do you know where he is?” She asked the Tardis who chirped happily as a reply. “Can you show me?”

The lights flashed brighter and the monitor on the console whizzed round so she could see it.

On screen was the Doctor and he wasn’t alone. He was surrounded by a small group of people that Donna didn’t recognise. In the corner of the screen were even more people. Had the Tardis hacked into one of those video calls? Could they see her?

“Doctor?” She called and waved at the screen but everyone ignored her. “They can’t see me?”

The Tardis hummed in agreement and turned the volume up on the call so Donna could listen to their conversation. The Doctor was looking… stressed. His hair was a mess and his shoulders were tense. What on Tardis was going on? And why hadn’t he invited her?

She frowned and tried to ignore the pang of hurt in her chest. She thought they were friends, best friends. She’d even begun to wonder if their friendship could ever develop to something more. There was just something about the signals he was giving off that made her think that he might fancy her, but now she realised she was a fool. Of course he didn’t fancy her. He didn’t even trust her with whatever it was that was bothering him.

Were they even friends?

The Tardis console sparked under her fingers and she jumped, sticking her shocked fingers in her mouth. “Watch it Missy!” She glared up at the ceiling.

“Gift giving is different on Gallifrey.” The Doctor on the screen said and she promptly forgot her battle with his ship. “We don’t celebrate birthdays like you lot do, we don’t mark out time with holidays. It would be laughable. We can be scattered throughout the Time Vortex. Time doesn’t pass in the same way for us.” The Doctor sighed as he looked at the people around him. Each and every one of them looked confused as to the significance of what he was saying. Donna wasn’t entirely sure she understood herself. “Giving someone on a gift… it’s like an engagement ring.”

“What the?” She gasped as she thought about the box in her room filled with little souvenirs and presents that the Doctor had given her.

The Doctor paused to let his words sink in until an older, quite frankly gorgeous, brunette interrupted the silence. “and accepting the gifts?”

The Doctor nodded. “is saying yes.”

“Flipping hell.” Donna’s head began to spin.

What was he saying? Did that mean what she thought it meant? Were they engaged? Like to be married engaged? Did she want to be engaged? Did she even love him?

“Oh what sort of a question is that!” She hissed. “Of course you do you moron.”

But… did he love her? If what he was saying was true then he probably did, but engaged? They weren’t even dating?

“Time Lords.” She muttered. “Can I talk to them?” She asked the Tardis who fizzed angrily under her fingers. “Oh don’t be like that. I’m sorry alright! But Can I talk to him? Please.”

The Tardis hummed nonchalantly but something must have happened because everyone on the screen was suddenly staring.

“Is that her?” A pretty young girl hissed.

“Yes, Martha.” The Doctor glared at the screen for a moment before his eyes flickered across so he was looking at her. “Hello, Donna!” He had a big fake grin on his face and he gave a little wave.

She poked his face on the screen. “Don’t you ‘Hello Donna.’ me Mister.” She snapped.

“Umm…” His face dropped.

“Oh this oughta be good.” A handsome American laughed.

“Shut it, Jack.” The Doctor snapped.

“Oi!” Donna yelled at her friend. “Leave him alone. I’m not marrying you if you’re going to be rude to your friends. Got it?”

“Yes Donna.” The Doctor nodded and then froze with wide eyes. “WAIT WHAT?”

She smirked. “I accepted the gifts didn’t I?”

“But. But.” He stammered. “You didn’t know?”

“And I do now. Look I’m not getting any younger here, Alien Boy and it turns out.” She paused and took a deep breath. “It turns out I do want all that nonsense. If you don’t mind us being a bit more than mates, Sunshine”

“Even though I’m a skinny streak of alien nothing?” He grinned but she could see the vulnerability he was hiding behind the smile.

“Don’t push it.” She warned with a smile. “But I suppose you aren’t that bad.”

He pouted and then looked around the room as if he’d suddenly remembered they weren’t alone. “Umm.”

“Congratulations!” Martha cheered happily and the room burst into happy chatter. The Doctor blushed and grinned happily.

Donna wished she could be there with him to join the celebrations.

The Tardis must have heard her thoughts because the very next sudden the whole room jolted and the engines began to grind. The screened cut off and the Doctor’s cheery face disappeared. “Doctor!” She shrieked as she grabbed hold of the console and watched the blue light of the central column begin to move.

It was only a few seconds, a minute at most, but soon the room was still again. She let go of the console and ran to open the doors but the Doctor beat her to it. No sooner had she run across the grated floor than her alien best mate flung the doors open and barrelled straight into her, picking her up into a flying her. She squealed and wrapped her hands around his neck.

“Donna!” He cried happily. “Am I glad to see you!”

“Well I could hardly leave you alone to celebrate now could I, Spaceman?” She teased as he slowly swung her back round to the floor.

“Did you mean it, Donna?” He asked as he pulled back to look at her face.

“Yeah.” She patted his cheek fondly. “I’m with you forever, Spaceman, in all of life’s great adventures.”

They pulled apart when they heard laughter from outside the doors. Jack and his team were huddled round the outside of the Tardis. Jack grinned and took a step towards the doors. The Doctor’s eyes went wide and he launched himself at the console pulling down the lever that would send them spinning back into the vortex.

“Doctor!” She chided.

He grinned back sheepishly. “Oh he’ll be alright and anyway, I just wanted to spend some time with you. I’d never get that with Captain Harkness in the room, he’s a notorious flirt and you are just his type.”

“Oh and what’s that then? His type?” She asked with a laugh.

“Absolutely gorgeous.” He winked and pulled her into a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooo! Finished!! I hope you liked the little round up to this one!! (Sorry I totally forgot to post mid week like I intended. I'm the worst) 
> 
> Let me know what you think! 
> 
> \- Yaz 
> 
> (P.S I'm proof reading RTT now, sorry I forgot Saturday was a day... :P )


End file.
